Mix it up!

Urban Bowling

Normally bowling is the last thing I want to do (next to ice skating). This stems from the fact that I don’t want to wear rented shoes that 9000 other people have worn and stick my hand in a sweaty used bowling ball. That being said, lately I have been reading a lot about new urban bowling lanes. These aren’t your average alleys that your used to, there’s generally fewer lanes, fewer people, and a bit more class. Things that you won’t find at an urban bowling alley include, sarsaparilla, John Goodman, disco balls, underage teenagers, that weird lady at the food counter, and locker rooms. You should find a cool spot to throw a few strikes without smokey league players in the next lane, and a variety of less than frozen/fried foods with a decent bar serving variety of adult beverages and no pitchers of Natty. The New York Times recently wrote an article about the subject, check it out here. Here locally if I wanted to go bowling I generally stay away from the teen night club alleys, there is a nice underground bowling alley on campus that’s super cheap and no one is ever there, you just need to know how to keep your own score, very hipster…

On the urban front, one of the run down buildings downtown (formerly the J.C.Penny Company) recently changed hands and is slated to be restored for mixed use, including residential, retail, and you guessed it, an urban bowling alley. Hopefully that happens, I’m all for urban renewal, and supporting locally owned businesses, as long as they serve White Russians! ~cwall